BoxOffice® Pro - October 2012

SHOW
BUSINESS
Box office grosses from China become
more important every month
CHINA
ON MY
MIND
by Phil Contrino, Editor
Boxoffice.com
TITANIC 3D
$146 MILLION
iCE AGE:
CONTINENTAL
DRIFT
$67 MILLION
THE
AMAZING
SPIDER-MAN
>$10 MILLION
IN 3 DAYS
■ The most interesting thing about Sundays used to
be seeing what surprises the domestic box offi ce had in
store. Now that the Boxoffi ce.com team has become
so good at predicting, not a whole lot surprises us anymore.
(Hey, it’s our magazine. We can do a shameless
plug every once in a while!) I still yearn for surprises,
but more of them are happening abroad than at home.
And no country currently surprises me more than China.
The relationship between China and the American
movie industry is going to grow in importance over
the next fi ve years. The writing is on the Great Wall.
Chinese moviegoers are devouring American fi lms
with vigor, and that has a huge effect here at home.
The Chinese enthusiasm for Titanic in 3D and Ice
Age: Continental Drift helped Twentieth Century Fox
become the fi rst distributor to hit $2 billion worldwide
at the 2012 box offi ce. Titanic in 3D achieved the biggest
opening weekend ever in China with $67 million
on its way to a $146 million haul in the country. That
means that China accounted for more than half of
the fi lm’s $287 million international take. As for Ice
Age: Continental Drift, the fourth installment in the
beloved franchise has taken in more than $67 million
in China as of this writing, which represents the best
foreign-country gross for Scrat and company. Ice Age:
Continental Drift’s international total has passed $665
million, and it still has plenty of momentum. For comparison,
its domestic haul is currently just over $155
million.
Two key sequels are also receiving funding from
China: Kung Fu Panda 3 and Iron Man 3. It should
come as no surprise that the Kung Fu Panda franchise
is bigger internationally than it is at home, so foreign
funding makes a lot of sense. In 2011, Kung Fu Panda
2 grossed $496.5 million internationally and just $165.2
million domestically. As for 2010’s Iron Man 2, it did
$310 million internationally compared to $312.1 million
domestically—an almost even split that should tip in
favor of international when the third fi lm arrives.
It’s also very telling that James Cameron has
decided to start a joint venture in China designed to
promote 3D fi lmmaking. Cameron, one of the great
cinematic innovators of all time, is usually fi ve years
ahead of everyone else. So if he’s showing an interest
in China, other influential fi lmmakers won’t be far
behind.
As I write this, The Dark Knight Rises and The
Amazing Spider-Man have just opened in China.
Already, The Dark Knight Rises has exceeded the
international haul of The Dark Knight, so grosses from
China will only make the fi lm’s bottom line all the
more pleasing. The Amazing Spider-Man has taken in
more than $440 million internationally, and China
could help boost that number to $500 million.
Increased business in China should serve as a
source of pride for the American movie industry.
Moviegoers around the world can’t get enough of our
stories, which means that we’ve learned to tell tales in
a way that transcends cultural boundaries. I can’t wait
to watch this relationship grow.
16 BOXOFFICE PRO OCTOBER 2012